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Cost, mileage, tax. All sensible things to check before buying a vehicle. But what about insurance group? Every new car registered in the UK is classified into one of 50 car insurance groups. This helps providers determine the level of car insurance cover required for each vehicle, and in turn how much you pay for your policy.
If you are wondering what insurance group your car is in, or are looking to buy a new vehicle and want to know whether it’ll prevent you from getting cheap car insurance, you can use our car insurance group guide to get an idea.
The insurance group of your car plays an important part in determining how much your cover will cost. Car insurance groups in the UK are numbered from 1 to 50, with Group 1 cars the cheapest to insure, and Group 50 the most expensive. So the higher your insurance group, the higher your premium will be.
This means it is always worth checking the car insurance group of any vehicle before buying it, to make sure that your insurance costs aren’t going to suddenly shoot up without you knowing.
A car won’t only be in a numbered insurance group. It will also have a letter attached to that number, to reflect the safety and security of the vehicle.
The available letters, and what they mean, are as follows:
If you want to check your car’s insurance group, you can use one of the many checkers available online. To do so, you’ll likely need the following information:
The car insurance groups, some typical makes and models within them and the range of annual average premiums are shown in the car insurance group prices table below:
| Group | Who is the car for? | Examples | Average premiums |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | These are usually smaller, less expensive vehicles. Since these are among the cheapest cars to insure, they are worth considering if you’re a new or young driver. | Volkswagen Polo Hatchback, Hyundai i10, Skoda Fabia Hatchback, Nissan Micra, Ford KA+, Smart Forfour, Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback | £350 to £550 |
| Groups 2 to 5 | While not as cheap as Group 1, cars in Groups 2 to 5 can still be a good option for people looking to keep the cost of their car insurance down. | Fiat Panda 4×4, Ford Fiesta Hatchback, Chevrolet Spark, Kia Picanto, Peugeot 107, Nissan Pixo, Dacia Duster | £400 to £600 |
| Groups 6 to 10 | If you want to keep your premium on the lower side, but need a slightly bigger car, you could look for something in Groups 6 to 10. | Ford Focus, Honda Civic Hatchback, Chrysler Ypsilon, Citroen Saxo, Hyundai Amica, Audi A1 Hatchback, Alfa Romeo Mito | £400 to £600 |
| Groups 11 to 20 | If you want to keep an eye on the cost of your car insurance, but don’t necessarily want to sacrifice performance, a car in Groups 11 to 15 may be appropriate. | Mazda 2, Peugeot 2008, Toyota Prius, BMW 1 Series, Volkswagen Golf, SEAT Leon, Audi A3 | £500 to £800 |
| Groups 21 to 30 | These are normally viewed as the mid-range car insurance groups. They provide a balance between size and speed on one hand, and the price of your premium on the other. | Suzuki Swift, Citroen C3, Vauxhall Astra, Kia Soul, Nissan Leaf, Ford Kuga, Skoda Octavia | £600 to £900 |
| Groups 31 to 40 | Cars in these groups will normally produce above-average car insurance quotes. This could be because they are more expensive models, or have parts that are more difficult to replace if damaged. | Audi A4, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz CLK, Volvo S60, BMW X5, Land Rover Defender, Mitsubishi Outlander | £700 to £1,000 |
| Groups 41 to 50 | These groups are for the most powerful, prestigious and expensive cars, from top-spec SUVs to luxury sports cars. | Porsche 718 Cayman, Ford Mustang, Bentley Bentayga, Subaru Impreza, Audi TT Roadster, Honda Legend Saloon, Lotus Evora | £800 to £1,200 |
Car insurance groups are calculated using the Group Rating System administered by Thatcham Research. The system includes a group rating panel comprising members of the Association of British Insurers and the Lloyd’s Market Association.
The panel meets monthly to classify new car models into appropriate insurance groups based on data supplied by Thatcham Research. A range of features is taken into consideration when making these decisions. These features include the following:
In addition to checking your car insurance group, providers use various factors to determine the cost of your insurance premiums.
Your personal information plays a huge part in deciding your final car insurance premium:
Where you live is a key risk factor for insurance providers when they calculate the cost of a premium. This is because most drivers use and park their cars near their homes.
Therefore, insurers will use the postcode when deciding on how much of a risk the driver is to insure. The level of risk will depend on the following:
Your driving record could make a big difference in the cost of your insurance. Providers will check for penalty points, suspensions, convictions and previous insurance claims. Evidence of irresponsible driving could increase the price of your premium and, in more serious cases, lead to a rejection of your application.
Similarly, how much you drive in a year can reduce or increase the cost of your insurance. Cars with a high annual mileage spend more time on the road than those with a lower mileage and are therefore at higher risk of being involved in an accident. So, the lower the mileage, the lower the insurance premium.
In fact, some insurance providers offer specialist low-mileage insurance policies. If your mileage is less than the average 7,400 miles a year, these are worth looking into.
Generally, you can choose from three insurance levels, which vary in terms of coverage and cost.
Individual insurance policies can differ, so it’s worth checking with the insurance providers if you want car insurance. The basic definitions of the three levels are outlined below:
On top of the cover itself, the make-up of your policy will also inform the cost:
Electric vehicles (EVs) are assessed and placed into insurance groups like any other new cars in the UK. There’s no specific insurance group for EVs since they vary in performance, power, engine size, design and cost.
However, it’s important to note that electric car models are relatively new and are not commonly available. The cost of repairs and replacement parts tends to be higher for EVs than their standard fuel counterparts. Owners of EVs may need a specialist mechanic to undertake repairs. Therefore, an EV may be in a higher insurance group than its standard fuel equivalent.
Insurance groups are based on the model of the car, as well as the age. So you could have the same range of cars appear in different insurance groups, depending on the specific features of a given model.
For example, the Ford Focus Active Hatchback has makes ranging from Group 14 to Group 19.
If you know what insurance group your car is in, you will understand how significantly this influences your car insurance. It also helps you anticipate ongoing repair costs, as cars in lower insurance groups tend to be cheaper to maintain.
In addition, it’s worth knowing your insurance group if you’re considering trading down from your existing car. This knowledge can help you significantly reduce your insurance premiums and running costs.
Insurance groups are determined when a car is new and cannot be altered later. However, when determining your premium, insurance providers will consider your car’s age, condition and insurance group.
